Apollo fish fry is a Hyderabadi special boneless fried fish that is stir-fried in curry leaves tempering after deep frying. It is often found in the menu list of most of the Hyderabadi restaurants and is a highly ordered dish in restaurants of Andhra and Telangana regions.
It basically appears like a starter and is sauteed in an aromatic tempering of curry leaves which is just eaten plain as a starter dish.
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About the recipe
It is a simple medium spicy starter fish recipe that is marinated in spices then deep-fried well like a fish pakora. The deep-fried fish is stir-fried in spice and yoghurt masala.
To make this fish recipe, one needs to use boneless fish fillets which can be tilapia, salmon, red snapper, Murrel or any boneless fish available in your region.
I have used boneless tilapia which I feel turns out tasty after cooking but one can make use of any fish fillet without bones in it. If using fish with bones to fry fish then follow fried fish recipe from my blog which I have already shared with a video.
Ingredients used in the fish recipe
For marination
Boneless fish: Use any kind of fish that is fresh and free of bones. Frozen fish never tastes good and always make use of fresh fish to make deep-fried fish recipes.
The fish can be made into medium size pieces or thin strips or as the desired shape but preferably make strips or small pieces.
The fish should be cleaned and washed well before use and should be free of water to let masala stick to the fish pieces.
Dry spices: Dry spices such as salt, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, pepper powder (white or black), ginger garlic paste are required to remove the fishy smell and give spice flavours in the marination.
Corn flour and maida: These both ingredients are the high requirements in making the apollo fish marination as these two ingredients give the right crisp and crunchy flavour to the fish from outside when deep-fried.
Egg: Sometimes the fish is too hard from inside and gets chewy and these ingredients balance the hard and chewy texture as well as makes it softer to chew the flesh inside the deep-fried fish.
Lemon: Always adding lemon gives a slight balanced sour flavour to the chicken or fish while deep frying and is also essential to tenderize the flesh quickly as well as to remove the bad odour from the flesh.
Oil: This is must to deep fry and to saute the fish after deep frying.
To saute the fish
Oil: This acts as the base for all the tempering given and without oil, the rest of the ingredients do not add taste.
Any healthy oil such as olive oil can be used. If olive oil is not handy then make use of other edible oils for sauteing or deep frying.
Curry leaves and Garlic: Apollo fish tempering is incomplete without these two. They give the required aroma and flavour to the final dish.
Green chillies: To get the right spice flavour to the fried fish, chillies are added which also add to the aroma and delicious taste of the fish.
dry spices: I have added some dry spices in tempering such as salt, chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder, food colour and black pepper powder. These give a good masala colour to the dish.
Food colour: Any food colour of one's choice such as red food colour yellow food colour can be added as per preference.
I prefer to keep it natural most of the times and if making it regularly but since I am posting it as a restaurant-style version I have made use of yellow food colour while sauteing.
Yoghurt: I have added yogurt as Hyderabadi restaurant version or street food style cooking of this dish uses yoghurt or curd while sauteing the fishes but I think this can be taken as an optional ingredient if yogurt is not handy and not preferred.
Generally, it can be just sauteed by skipping yogurt and yet gets the best taste. Adding yogurt makes it soft and if a crunchy texture is preferred then it is completely optional to skip yoghurt.
Step by step procedure and photos
Fish marination
- Wash the boneless fish pieces well and strain them well to remove excess water. Take a mixing bowl, add the boneless fish pieces.
- Add salt as per taste, red chili powder, turmeric powder, black pepper powder, add ginger garlic paste.
- Add corn flour, all purpose flour/ maida into it.
- Add beaten egg to the marination. add lemon etxract.
- Mix all the ingredients well with the fish pieces.
- Cover and marinate in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Deep frying:
- Take a deep frying pan or a wok, add oil for deep frying and heat it well.
- Drop the marinated fish pieces carefully into the oil.
- Deep fry them for at least 10 minutes or until they are fried well completely.
- Take the fish pieces out and place them on an absorbent paper.
Tempering the fish pieces
- Take a saute pan, add oil and heat it.
- Add vertically slit green chilies, add finely chopped garlic. Add fresh curry leaves and saute few seconds.
- Add dry spices such as salt, red chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder and black pepper powder.
- Add yogurt and give a good mix.
- mix the yogurt on low heat.
- Add yellow food color mixed with little water.
- Add the fried fish pieces into it.
- Mix the fish pieces with the tempering. Saute until yogurt gets absorbed into the fish.
- Lastly, add some freshly chopped cilantro leaves. Mix well and turn off the heat.
- Garnish with lemon wedges and sliced onions.
- Serve as a starter.
Video procedure
Check out the recipe directions below.
Recipe
apollo fish fry recipe, boneless fish fry
Ingredients
For marination:
- 6-7 boneless fish, cut into pieces or strips (using tilapia here)
- salt - to taste
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper corn powder
- ½ teaspoon ginger garlic paste
- 2 teaspoon corn flour
- 2 teaspoon all purpose flour/maida
- 3 tablespoon beaten egg
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- oil for deep frying
To saute the fish:
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 5-6 vertically slit green chillies
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
- 6-7 fresh curry leaves
- salt to taste
- ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder
- ¼ teaspoon cumin powder
- ¼ teaspoon coriander powder
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder
- ¼ tsp black pepper corn powder
- 2 tablespoon thick yogurt
- a pinch of yellow food color mixed with 2 tablespoon water
- 2 tablespoon freshly chopped coriander leaves
Instructions
Fish marination:
- Wash the boneless fish pieces well and strain them well to remove excess water.
- Take a mixing bowl, add the boneless fish pieces.
- Add salt as per taste, red chili powder, turmeric powder, black pepper powder, add ginger garlic paste.
- Add corn flour, all purpose flour/ maida into it.
- Add beaten egg to the marination.
- Add lemon extract .
- Mix all the ingredients well with the fish pieces.
- Cover and marinate in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Deep frying:
- Take a deep frying pan or a wok, add oil for deep frying and heat it well.
- Drop the marinated fish pieces carefully into the oil.
- Deep fry them for at least 10 minutes or until they are fried well completely.
- Take the fish pieces out and place them on an absorbent paper.
Tempering the fish pieces:
- Take a saute pan, add oil and heat it.
- Add vertically slit green chillies, add finely chopped garlic.
- Add fresh curry leaves and saute few seconds.
- Add dry spices such as salt, red chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder and black pepper powder.
- Add yogurt and give a good mix.
- Add yellow food color mixed with little water.
- Mix well.
- Add the fried fish pieces into it.
- Mix the fish pieces with the tempering.
- Saute until yogurt gets absorbed into the fish.
- Lastly, add some freshly chopped cilantro leaves.
- Mix well and turn off the heat.
- Garnish with lemon wedges and sliced onions.
- Serve as a starter.
Notes
- Adding yogurt is not mandatory and can be skipped but in Hyderabadi style of cooking usually yogurt is added.
- Food color too can be added as an optional ingredient and can be kept natural without giving color to it.
- If sauce is preferred then add half a teaspoon of soy sauce to enhance the flavors.
- In the tempering chopped cashews can be added and stir fried to get cashew flavor in the starter dish.
Nutrition
FAQ'S
Use any boneless fish and preferable not salmon for this recipe as salmon does not taste good for this recipe directions and preferably use snapper, Murrel or tilapia.
Adding of the beaten egg is definitely not mandatory and it can be skipped and can be marinated plain with spices, cornflour and maida.
No, it can always be skipped and the recipe can be stir-fried just by adding some curry leaves, chopped garlic and slit green chillies along with some dry spices which taste equally good and is a quick version of making the apollo fish.
Usually, if making it in Hyderabadi style plain yogurt is added but soy sauce can be added for additional sauce flavors.
I generally do not prefer adding any artificial colours but since I am posting a similar version of restaurant-style apollo fish which is similarly made in Andhra restaurant and tried to add yellow food colour but it can be replaced with any colour.
Homemade food should always be natural.
It can be modified by skipping yogurt and adding sauces such as soy sauce and chili sauce instead of yogurt.
Can fish be stored after cooking?
Fish recipes should always be consumed fresh and never should be kept at room temperature if the temperature of the room is even slightly hotter.
Always place the cooked fish in the refrigerator after consuming as the fish starts smelling bad after few hours if not stored in the fridge.
Even if stored in the fridge consume it within a single day and not store it for more than a day.
Uncooked raw fish pieces can be stored in the freezer for a long time and can be used for cooking when required but do not store the uncooked raw fish in the refrigerator.
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